We are living in a digital world. Many of the marketing and lead generation methods employed just a decade ago are becoming obsolete. With more people attached to their mobile devices email campaigns can help you tap into the digital marketing era. While direct mail can still be quite effective email campaigns are slowly becoming the go to marketing option for many investors. However not all campaigns are created equally. It is not enough to blast off a few emails and wait for a response. You need to be efficient in everything from the subject line to the follow up. A well targeted email campaign can quickly generate new contacts that can become valuable business partners. A sloppy campaign will leave you scratching your head wondering what you did wrong. Here are five tips for success on your next email campaign.
- Grab Attention. Think about some of the emails you have received. If you are like most people the deciding factor as to whether or not you open is the subject line. Your subject is similar to the title of a blog or the name of a movie. It should quickly grab your attention and give the recipient some idea of what the body of the email holds. It needs to be clever without condescending. It needs to be a little unorthodox without going too far. It is not an exaggeration to say that you need to spend as much time on the subject line as you do on the body of the email. You may craft what you think is the perfect email but if the subject is poor it won’t make a difference. If you are struggling coming up with quality subject lines there are many freelance writers who can help you. With your email campaign everything starts with the subject line.
- Think Value Added. Email click rates are important but the name of the game is conversion. To get the reader to act the body of the email needs to illicit action. Nobody wants to hear about all of the success you may have had or how many deals you have closed. They want to know how you can help them. Throughout your email you need to keep coming back to why someone would want to work with you and how you can help their business. This could mean anything from providing a service or doing it better than everyone else. You can include something of value in your email such as an eBook or simply list a few benefits of working together. Your email needs to be clear, concise and compact. Bullet points and numbers work much better than paragraphs. Most readers will only skim the email looking for something to grab their attention. When composing the email think like the reader and always focus on the value added.
- Request And Respond. At the bottom of your email you need to make it easy for your reader to respond. Ask if you can follow up with them, or even better meet, at a specific time and date. Without this prompting they may like what they read in your email but not be clear as to what the next step is. The easier you make it to follow up the more success you will have. It is also important that you respond to any emails received as quickly as possible. You should never let an email go longer than a few hours. That being said you can’t send a response without reading it first. A sloppy email with grammatical errors and misspelling everywhere will do more harm than good. Your follow up is the first impression received once you are on their radar. Follow up speed is important but presentation is critical.
- Prepare For Meeting. If you get to the point where you have set up a meeting you need to be able to close the deal. By closing the deal it can mean setting up a short term partnership or providing a service at some point down the road. With your meeting you need to treat it like a presentation. You need to do your homework on whoever you are meeting with. Go to their website or search the internet to find out a little on what they are about. If you have any mutual friends give them a call and see what they may be looking for. Most meetings don’t end up with a partnership but they should give you an idea of whether or not you are a good fit moving forward. Treat every meeting like it is the one that can change your business and do your homework.
- Follow Up. Like any other type of marketing you do the follow up is essential. Regardless if you had a meeting or simply received a one line response you need to treat all follow ups the same. It usually takes at least half dozen contacts before a recipient will seriously consider working with you. Not only do you need to stay consistent with your emails but you also need to follow up diligently. You should have a few email templates ready to go so respond quickly regardless of what else you have going on. A well-crafted email or voicemail after a meeting may be enough to lead to a second meeting which could turn into a relationship. Never give up after just one meeting or one email. If you do not follow up you are wasting time and money.
Email can be just as effective as any other type of marketing you do. Follow these five tips for success on your next email campaign.
